


How to make proper use of Exercise Balls

by xdestroying



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: AU, Anal Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 15:04:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6084186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xdestroying/pseuds/xdestroying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Uptight business men – including Sho – do not stop being uptight just because their gym trainers have nice legs. Or do they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [64907](https://archiveofourown.org/users/64907/gifts).



> This is written for 64907 for this year's je_united fic-exchange at LJ. Vaguely based on the Sakumoto Non-no shoot.

When Sho made his way down to the gym for the first time, he had not imagined he would be visiting the place more than twice a week. Despite his packed schedule at work, he refused to do nothing and sit on his ass all day, tapping away on a keyboard till his back hurt. As a man, he had his dignity and his pride, and taking care of his own body was not something he was indifferent about. Besides, Sho was well aware of how much he liked food – he could not keep joining his colleagues for beer and food after work without doing some kind of exercising. He had been running about once a week and done regular exercises on his living room floor to convince himself that he was staying in shape – but he could only do the running before the sun went down, and more oft than not, he had to stay in the office till well past six. Which meant that the running promise to himself was something he had a hard time keeping.  
Now standing with his gym bag slung over one shoulder, Sho’s first thought was that this was definitely not his thing. Slim women were crowding the treadmills, men with big muscles using the pec deck machines. But then he spotted all the soft office workers on the bikes, bouncing on the ridiculous exercise balls, doing their best to do crunches, and Sho felt a bit better. He headed to the changing room to drop his bag and decided to get started.  
  
Since he had been training during his high school days – playing soccer and going to the gym with his group of friends – Sho did not consider himself a newbie with the training machines. Since none of the treadmills were free, Sho chose to warm up his body on one of the training bikes. While pushing forward, chasing an unseen thing in front of him, Sho found himself forgetting the stacks of paperwork he had to do, the meetings he had to attend, the colleagues he had so socialize with, and it did not take long for him to get addicted to the freedom the trip to the gym brought him.  
   
From the day he finished his master’s degree from college, Sho had been walking in his father’s footsteps. Every day he was pushing himself and pushing himself at work to get things done, to grow in the firm, to fight his way towards the top where his father was currently waiting for him to succeed him. Sho had always been brilliant and hard-working which made this path all the more obvious. He had known his whole life that this was his future, that this was the way he was heading – everything so far had been planned out for him; where he was to live, where he was to study, where he was to work. The only piece missing in his life as his father’s successor was a proper wife – a woman his parents had tried to find for him for the past five years, setting him up in various meetings. Unfortunately, none of the women had been compatible with Sho. For reasons obvious to only Sho.  
All these expectations and the pressure seemed to evaporate when training, Sho came to discover on the very first day – he could retreat into himself and forget the world around him. When he left the gym that evening, it was with a smile reaching from ear to ear.  
  
“This is a totally awesome gym, Sho-chan, I can’t believe you did not come here before,”  
Aiba, Sho’s co-worker was brimming with energy, and Sho could sense already now that this would become a hard session if he was to keep up with this guy.  
Sho noticed how Aiba gave him a good look-over, “You look like someone who works out quite often, though Sho-chan. You sure you haven’t worked out before?”  
“Of course I’ve worked out before,” Sho answered very quickly, a hint of annoyance in his voice, maybe from the fact that he did not want his co-worker to think he wasn’t in good shape. Damn, he would fall behind so badly today, “But since the year started, there’s just been so much work to do. You ought to agree with me. Because you _did_ stay late to finish work on some days too, didn’t you Aiba-san?” With these words, Sho raised an eyebrow and gave Aiba a stern look.  
The other man seemed to blush at that and forced out an, “O- Of course Sho-kun. Now, let’s get started?”  
As soon as he turned around to head for the lockers, Sho grinned to himself with this discovery of what he could use against Aiba, should he need to.  
He hoisted up in the bag on his shoulder and just as he went towards the changing room as well, his eyes caught sight of a person just in the corner of the gym. His eyes were drawn to the outrageous purple shirt and the black tights, but since he was already in movement, he did not stop to ogle at the man. Though as soon as he removed his eyes and his focus, he could’ve sworn the guy was gorgeous, all long limps and broad shoulders.  
  
An hour later, Sho was panting hard, forcing himself to keep running and running and running. Beside him, Aiba was still pressing on, sweat running down his neck and the side of his face, but otherwise not looking as if he would stop anytime soon. _Oh great._  
They had been at it for the greater part of two hours, and Sho’s muscles were screaming for them to stop soon. They’d decided – or rather Aiba had decided – to finish the session with a fast run, but apparently a _fast_ run did not mean a _quick_ run, but a long run in a high tempo. At least, to Sho’s liking, it seemed way too long. Throughout the training session, he had struggled to not stop even if he wanted to. His stubbornness did not allow him to take a break when Aiba continued – there was just no way he would let himself appear the weaker one. And he had had his small victories; he could lift more weight than Aiba in dumb bells and he was way better at the dipping bars than Aiba. Even so, his colleague seemed to have more stamina than him when it came to running. Though he did sweat a great deal more than Sho.  
Sho found himself grinning at the thought, and he realized he was seemingly mocking his colleague when Aiba turned his head and smiled brightly at him, though with question marks in his eyes. Sho just shook his head at him and turned to the control screen of the treadmill to turn it off,  
“I’m out of juice. Sorry Aiba-san,”  
Sho slowed down to a walk until the machine stopped, and stepped off the moving platform. The gym had emptied out considerably while the two men had been training, and the lights outside had faded too, turning day into night. Sho found himself looking forward to eating a late dinner with a great conscience. He bent down to pick up his water bottle and with one hand lifted his towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead and bangs which tended to get soaked too, and that was when his eyes caught sight of the purple shirt again, his back facing Sho and Aiba’s direction. The guy was still at it? This time, Sho allowed himself to look at the man, to let his eyes sweep over his broad back, his powerful shoulders, his long legs and the way his muscles moved underneath that tight shirt. Sho found that he was unable to restrain himself in his staring, rude as it might seem. But how could he, when this man was just too good-looking for him not to stare? Sho licked his lips unconsciously.   
Maybe Aiba had had enough too, because he suddenly stepped down from his machine behind Sho, nearly knocking into Sho who was frozen in the place just beside the treadmills, and exclaimed an ‘ouf! Sorry.’, just as Sho snapped out of it. Sho blinked and reluctantly turned to a very sweaty Aiba.  
“You finished?” he asked, and felt the dragging in his body to turn. To look at the guy with the tights again.  
Aiba nodded, panting rapidly as he lifted a water bottle to his lips and took a long drag,  
“Let’s go shower then,”  
When Sho turned around again, he stole one last glance over at the pulleys, marvelling at the strength in that man’s shoulders and upper back. He hoped he would see the man here again.  
   
The next day Sho was sore as hell. He realized that he might’ve pushed himself beyond the healthy point and his muscles were begging for a break. So even if he did not feel like it – because he really wanted to look at purple shirt and tights again – he decided to take a break from the gym for two days and instead he went running one evening and did his usual evening exercises on the floor. Despite his sore muscles, he found that he had a lot more energy in general, a more positive approach to the work in front of him on his working desk, and things seemed to get done much faster than usual. Even Aiba popped his head into his office the following day after their gym-session, stating how Sho looked much brighter than he had for a while. Of course that had made Sho happy to hear, and he once more thanked Aiba for accompanying him, even if it disabled him from spreading his legs too wide. Thus he also contemplated whether it was a good idea to train with his colleague again.  
After two days, he went to the gym by himself again. After changing out of his crisp suit, he went to work on something named: ‘Hammer Strength machine’. He had seen other people in the gym use it, but had never tried it before by himself, and seeing as there did not appear to be anyone here right now whom he could make a particularly big fool out of himself in front of, he had the courage to try out the machine. He had been adjusting the machine for a while, pulling a bit in this and a bit in that, when a voice suddenly interrupted him on his way into his own mind where he wanted to be while training,  
“Do you know how to use this?” the voice was dark and a bit sceptic, so Sho looked up, prepared to tell the person off, stating that _of course_ he knew, _pff_.  
He found himself staring into a set of beautiful bright brown eyes, framed by long eyelashes, and his mouth was suddenly very dry, “Um…”  
“If you don’t know how to use a machine, you shouldn’t,” the purple shirt guy – who was wearing a tight black shirt today – placed his hands on his hips and gave Sho a look of stern disapproval, “You could hurt yourself.”  
Sho really wanted to tell this man off. With the way he was standing there, all bossy and full of himself… If he wasn’t so damn good-looking, Sho definitely would’ve told him to mind his own bloody business. But then again, he must’ve had a reason to come over here and tell Sho to stop what he was doing. And he kind of could see the man’s logic.  
“I see.” He started before he let go of the handles of the machine and stood up to come face to face with the man, “But tell me then…” Those brown eyes were even prettier up close, and as they stood at almost equal stature of height, Sho had to ignore the graceful neckline and the collarbones poking out from under the shirt the man wore, even as they flashed themselves at him, “How am I supposed to learn how to use the machine when I am not allowed to try it?”  
Sho crossed his arms now, looking at the other man defiantly, but instead of provoking the guy, what Sho had said was apparently very amusing, since a smirk now appeared to grace purple-shirt’s strong features,  
“Well, you can ask me?” with the suggestion, he smiled triumphantly, and Sho found himself even more reluctant to allow this guy to show off. And so, Sho flashed him a crooked grin of his own. No, he was not impressed,  
“I train better on my own, thank you very much,”  
And with that, he went closely past the man, letting their shoulders slightly graze one another. His pride had been speaking, but it had still felt wrong to just give in that easily with the way the man was clearly provoking him and attempting to show off. Of course, Sho knew he would definitely not mind watching the guy flash his skills, but it would not be happening on Sho’s expense. And they would get another chance. With the way the air had cracked when Sho walked past him, he knew the guy would come at him again. Sho felt the way the smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and could not wait for the man to make a second attempt. Maybe Sho had not been the only one to look at how gym clothes looked on the other guy? Maybe someone else had studied Sho too. As much as the thought thrilled him, it also brought along the aspect of purple-shirt knowing how he failed to keep up with Aiba yesterday. That was a much less nice thought.  
Sho spent half an hour on the treadmill and ten minutes on the Bench Press before moving to work on training his upper back muscles and shoulders on the Lat Pulldown machine. He had just finished his first round of 20 x 132 lbs, when he felt a presence behind him.  
Sho did not have to pause and consider who it was, he could guess and it made him smile, back safely turned towards the man,  
“Have you come to tell me that I am doing this wrong?” he asked, knowing for sure that he was using this machine correctly. Grabbing onto the handle again, he started his second round.  
“No. But I am sure you could lift more than 132.” The man stated, and Sho let the words hang for a few seconds answering.  
“If I lifted more, you would probably tell me I was lifting too much and that I was hurting myself,” Sho’s snarky comment earned him a deep chuckle, and he found himself wishing he could see the guy’s face in that moment. He took a deep breath and finished the 20 pull-downs before continuing: “Who are you anyway? Why do you keep such a close eye on me?”  
Sho wiped his hands on the small white towel around his neck before he finally turned towards the man, rising from the bench from where he had been sitting. He made it just in time to see the guy tilt his head to one side, eyes studying Sho’s probably red and sweaty face. He smiled. And Sho was glad his cheeks were already puffed and pink.  
“I work as a personal trainer in this gym,” he brought his hand down to turn an ID card on his hip for Sho to see, “I’m Matsumoto Jun.”  
Sho looked down, read without reading, because at this moment, he found himself having to face an embarrassment. He had just rejected, and probably insulted, an experienced man in the arts of working out properly, and Sho did not know where this put him on Matsumoto Jun’s list of people he disliked. _Crap._  
“Ah, Matsumoto-san, I am terribly sorry, I did not know…” Sho started and rubbed his neck, losing all his previous vigour.  
Matsumoto just grinned at him and lifted his hand in a dismissive gesture, “It is not a problem. There was no way for you to know, since you are new to the gym.”  
Nodding dumbly, Sho rubbed his nose in the towel. Well wasn’t this great. Being new was the only excuse he could use, that much was certain.  
“I’ll try again, if you want: I could help you train? Show you how everything works and possibly get you in great shape faster than if you train only by yourself,” Matsumoto’s smile was getting bigger and bigger the more he told Sho about his incredible capabilities, “I’d also recommend making a food program, to ensure that you get the proper nourishments in accordance with your training. Oh, and if you’d like, I even offer a workout schedule, in case you are unable to come to the gym and have to work out at home.”  
When he finally finished, Sho stared at him, eyebrow raised, not quite sure whether he was willing to take Matsumoto up on the offer. Sure, the guy was freaking hot, and those legs in black tights were a blessing, but he was just so enthusiastic-looking that Sho felt a little intimidated. He feared that this guy was even worse than Aiba to work out with. Sho would probably find himself walking like an old man with all the soreness intense training would lead to, and he just was not sure whether he would prefer to look 50 years older, sitting in front of his computer in his office, groaning all the while.  
Matsumoto’s proud smile was still aimed at him though, and Sho could not help but find that bright expression irresistible. He wondered what a personal trainer would cost him,  
“Thank you for your very kind offer, Matsumoto-san,” he started and caught Matsumoto licking his lips, “I promise I’ll consider it, and I can give you an answer next time we meet.”  
Light flashed in Matsumoto’s eyes and Sho did not fail to notice that there was a slight upwards pulling at the corner of his smile for a second, but then he bowed, a sign of acceptance.  
“Take all the time you need, and let me know when you decide.” With those words, and another bow, Matsumoto left Sho to his training again.  
Sho realized he’d forgotten what he had been planning to work on after the Lat Pulldown and heaved a deep sigh while running a hand through his hair. Maybe a personal trainer actually wasn’t such a bad idea.  
  
The following day at work was very busy for Sho. Despite the tight schedule, the man managed to be on time for every single meeting he had, to hand in all his reports on time and also to stop by a colleague’s office to check up on his work with some of the calculations Sho needed to finish the monthly report of their section of the company. Sho knew the section had been doing well, and he couldn’t get the results fast enough, so that he could show the superiors that he indeed knew what he was doing as head of this department.  
Around 8 pm. his secretary appeared in the door to his office, one arm working its way into the sleeve of his coat,  
“I’ll be leaving for the day if there is no more I can do for you, Sakurai-san.”  
Sho raised his tired eyes from the blurry paperwork in front of him, and gave his secretary a small smile,  
“That is fine, Ninomiya-san, thank you for your hard work today. We managed to be on time with everything thanks to you,” and Sho meant what he said. He could not have had a better co-worker than Ninomiya Kazunari. Sho had been blessed since the man was hired two years ago. The two of them had grown up together, and having Nino as his right-hand man had proven to make life both easier and livelier at Sho’s working place.  
“Nonsense, Sho-chan,” Sho couldn’t help the smile when Nino dropped the politeness. It did not suit the man anyway, “Thank _you_ for your hard work. See you tomorrow.” And with a small wink, he left Sho with the rest of his work.  
As the quiet settled around Sho alone in his office, he hurried to finish so he could head home too, to a long shower and a nice take-out dinner.  
  
*  
  
 Of course, it was not very polite to spy on people. And Sho was all about manners. He would not call this spying though. It was more like observing. And observe he did. As Matsumoto ran faster and faster on the treadmill, Sho leaned against the wall just outside the locker room, eyes on him for just a moment longer, just another minute. It was rude to interrupt anyway. Sho had decided to take Matsumoto up on his offer and try this personal training for at least a short period of time. It would probably motivate him even more to come to the gym too if someone made a special training program for him, forcing him out of the door even on weekends and rainy days. Especially if that someone was always wearing tights and very fitting shirts. The fact that Matsumoto was once again wearing dark purple made Sho smirk. He wondered if it showed more than just the fine lines of the man’s back.    
Finally, Sho pushed away from the wall and walked towards the treadmills. At this hour, aside from Sho and Matsumoto, there were about five people around the gym, plus the receptionist. Not too many to get in the way when using the machines, and not so few that it would feel awkward. Keeping the tempo rather low, Sho had time to let his eyes travel up and down Matsumoto’s body a few times before he reached the machine, where he decided that why should he interrupt the trainer after all? Instead of being annoying and poking Matsumoto while he was running this fast, Sho chose to jump onto the treadmill right next to Matsumoto. Pretending like it was nothing, as if it meant nothing, he started the machine in a nice, steady tempo, warming up his muscles slowly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Matsumoto turn his head once, but only very briefly, before looking straight forward again. That he had acknowledged Sho’s presence was enough for Sho. He knew how much he himself went into his own mind during training, why shouldn’t Matsumoto do the same? And at the stupidly fast tempo he was going at, Sho imagined it would be dangerous to get distracted. Even Sho did not want to see Matsumoto fall flat on his face on that machine. So he forced his focus back onto the running alone, and sped up a bit after a few minutes. Yes, he had made up his mind about personal training, but he was in no rush, not really, so he could wait. With the speed of Sho’s machine, he could’ve easily turned his head to look at the man just twenty centimetres from him, but he would not give Matsumoto the pleasure of knowing that Sho was staring at him. As hard as it was to keep his focus elsewhere.  
Just as he finally started to forget where he was and who was beside him, the deep know-it-all tone of voice broke the silence,  
“Are you serious? It is no proper warm-up if you go that slow.”  
Sho smirked. He wasn’t even embarrassed. Actually, he had been waiting for Matsumoto to say something like that. Because Sho could already guess that Matsumoto was that type of person. So, when Sho turned his head to face the man who stood sweaty and panting beside Sho’s treadmill, he acted ignorant,  
“Really? Can you show me the best way then?”  
Matsumoto’s eyes shone dangerously, and Sho knew he’d caught on, that Sho was mocking him. Acting like this, Sho did know he risked insulting Matsumoto to the extent that the man would be mad at him and even go as far as to throw him out of the gym, but judging by Matsumoto’s behaviour so far, Sho couldn’t image him not rising up to a challenge like this. On the contrary, he would want to show Sho how wrong he was to make fun of the art of training the body.  
“For warming up,” Matsumoto started and turned to the control board of Sho’s machine and pointed to the buttons, “You should steadily increase your speed until you feel your muscles stretching out a bit. That will increase the flexibility of the muscles and thus increase the outcome of your training. It is ok to only warm up for about 10-15 minutes, and then you can always end your session with a faster run for about 20 minutes to burn calories and stretch your muscles again.”  
Sho had to admit later that he caught only half of what Matsumoto told him. The cause was him trying his hardest not to get distracted by the bobbing of Matsumoto’s Adam’s apple, and the way the beads of sweat kept running down that long neck of his.  
Matsumoto turned to face him, “Understand?”  
After Sho nodded, he continued: “I take this as a sign that you’ve decided to let me personally train you?” That sounded way too good in Sho’s ears. It would give him an excuse to study the moles on Matsumoto’s face too, “I’m warning you though, I won’t go easy on you.” – Or maybe not.  
To increase the dramatic effect, Sho turned off the machine, before flashing Matsumoto a grin,  
“Sure, I can take it. Don’t hold back, Matsumoto-san,” Sho bowed his head slightly, “I am Sakurai Sho. I look forward to working with you.  
And Matsumoto smiled back at him, “As you wish, Sakurai-san. We can get started whenever you want?”  
Matsumoto broke eye contact to reach for his water bottle. Even the bottle matched a professional, Sho noted when he looked at the name in big bold letters on the thing. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was something other than water in that bottle. Who was Matsumoto anyway? Sho was sure he had never heard the name Matsumoto Jun in the news – was he just a crazy fitness nut flashing professional equipment then?  
“Thursday?” Sho suggested, taking the chance to peek at Matsumoto’s light brown eyes again, “I hope to finish at work no later than 7 pm.”  
“7 pm. on Thursday,” Matsumoto sucked on the straw of the drinking bottle, and Sho clenched his jaw, “Suits me fine. Until then, enjoy your training Sakurai-san,”  
After answering his bow with one of his own, Sho turned back to the control board of the treadmill, forcing himself not to turn and look after Matsumoto.  
   
“More Sakurai-san! Yeah, that’s good! One more! Push forward! Come one, don’t give up now, we’ve barely done ten of these!”  
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you not notice how much weight you put on this?!”  
Sho’s muscles were screaming, his throat was dry and his limps were shaking, and still Matsumoto pushed on. He pushed Sho more than he imagined the trainer would do. Ok, admittedly, there must’ve been a reason for Matsumoto to have gained such a ridiculous V-shape, but this was insane. Really? They’d been at it for around two hours, and Matsumoto had apparently decided to let Sho work extra hard in a final spurt on the Bench Press, yelling at him if he as much as thought of giving up.  
“I… Can’t!” Sho forced out as the lifted the barbell.  
Matsumoto was there to grab hold of the thing, should he judge it necessary, but Sho knew that there was no way he’d let Sho off easily,  
“Nonsense. You can take one more, come on, we want to reach 20 and then we can both go home. Come on, yes, exactly, push on. Just two more,” Sho had totally changed his mind about liking Matsumoto’s voice, “The faster you finish, the happier both of us will be.”  
Sho grunted and tsked at Matsumoto as he forced out the last two pushes. He had no idea where the stamina came from. Maybe it was his annoyance over the trainer, or maybe he just did not want to lose, or maybe he wanted to show pretty Matsumoto that _of course_ he was able to do this, damn it.  
The sound of Matsumoto slapping his thighs with both hands met Sho’s ears when he let out one last, staggered grunt and let go of the bar, placing it above him,  
“That’s how you do it. Good job!” Matsumoto praised him, and Sho couldn’t help the warmth spreading in his chest. He felt proud of himself, and hearing Matsumoto praising him so easily made Sho turn his head on the soft bench and beam at him. Matsumoto mirrored his expression and got up from the crouch he’d been sitting in,  
“Yup, that’s it for today, Sakurai-san.” He said, looking down because Sho still did not make a move to get up from the bench where he lay panting, hands resting on his chest, “Let us set a time for the next session?”  
Oddly enough, with that, Jun suddenly turned around and left Sho. It made Sho sit up and look after the man, eyebrow raised in insecurity. Then he snorted and forced his legs to carry him up and over to his water bottle and towel. Like this, Matsumoto just expected him to come with him. It was so unnatural for someone like Sho who was always the one to command others, and never was the one commanded, which was why he felt like annoying Matsumoto by taking his time to drag the towel around his sweaty neck and walk slowly over to the corner with the abdominal bench and the exercise balls where Matsumoto had placed himself on the former. He was just sitting there, looking at Sho expectantly, and Sho couldn’t help but once more marvel at how attractive the other man was. His hands were resting on his knees and his legs were parted slightly. Sho felt a pulling in his body that he had to ignore. He stopped in front of Matsumoto,  
“Next session?” Sho asked, letting Matsumoto lay down the first possible days for him.  
Matsumoto licked his lips, “Weekends are off for me, but we can meet first thing on Monday if you have the time after work, Sakurai-san?”  
There was a meeting on Monday. And Sho had no idea how long it was going to be dragged out – they would discuss this month’s statistics and revenue of their section, and Sho already knew there were a few people he had to ‘discuss’ some things with.  
He grimaced, “Monday might not be so good for me. How about Tuesday?”  
“Hm,”  
Sho raised his eyebrows at the sound, which he had no means of understanding. Did Matsumoto disapprove? The trainer leaned back on the bench, stretching his arms behind him, and Sho caught himself staring at the way the black shirt stretched too and crept farther up Matsumoto’s chest,  
“I am not happy that it’ll almost be a week until we meet again,” Sho felt his ears get red, “But if you promise me you’ll train by yourself a few hours in the weekend, Saturday or Sunday, then Tuesday is fine. You _have_ to train though, or this session will have been for naught, and we might as well start all over again on Tuesday.”  
Sho did not want that. So he nodded his agreement,  
“I promise. Should I do the same circle on the machines as the one we did today?” he asked and was rewarded with a crooked smile from Matsumoto,  
“Exactly. I think that’ll be for the best in the beginning.”  
The two of them agreed on a time for their session on Tuesday which would be when Sho finished work in the evening, and then they parted ways. In the shower, Sho once more dreaded the sore muscles he’d have the following day at work.  
  
Over the weekend, Sho went for a short run on Saturday to loosen his muscles since he was still sore as hell. On Sunday he went to the gym and did his best to go through the same exercises as the ones he’d done with Matsumoto. It went ok, but Sho found that it was a lot harder to do as many pairs with the same weight as he’d done on Thursday with Matsumoto beside him, and he realized why personal trainers had become so popular amongst people going to the gym. It made a huge difference.  
The meeting on Monday dragged out as expected for Sho. Around 9 pm. he glanced at Ninomiya and noticed how red his eyes had become. The whole group was tired, but as the head of the office, Sho had to push through until they finished discussing all the topics for the day.  
After the meeting, he pulled the two people he’d planned to talk to, aside and gave them a warning, that if they did not step up their game, it would have consequences for their positions in the company. He was promised that they’d work harder.  
At night he went to bed after 1 am., and on Tuesday he got up again at 5. Despite the lack of sleep, he spent the day at the office looking forward to working out later. He told himself it was because he couldn’t wait to focus his mind on the training instead of paperwork, and not because of his handsome personal trainer.  
Ninomiya told him he was smiling when he left the office at 7 pm. as planned. Maybe he was, he definitely felt better than he’d done on Monday where he knew exactly what he was missing during the meeting. Despite this, he could not ignore the fatigue he felt when he finally arrived in the gym. It was 7 pm., and he definitely felt the consequences of working through the weekend. There was no letting it show when Matsumoto appeared in front of him though,  
“Sakurai-san, nice to see you again. Did you manage to do what we agreed on during the weekend?” Matsumoto was looking expectant, arms crossed and with a grin on his face.  
“I went through the same program as we did on Thursday,” Sho told him, and smiled a bit apologetically, “But it was really hard for me to get through all the exercises as many times and with as much weight as we did on Thursday. I did my best but…”  
Matsumoto brushed him off with a lifted hand, “That’s totally ok,” Actually, Sho found Matsumoto looked like he was happy about it, and not worried, “Go change, and meet me at the treadmill.” Tonight, as he had on previous days, Matsumoto was wearing black tights and a sports shirt, and as much as Sho thought he’d gotten used to it, he still stared as soon as the trainer turned around and gave him a good look at his assets. Sho wondered whether it was normal for people to look so good in sports clothes. He knew that with his black sweatpants and plain shirt, he was not exactly a hunk – and there was no way he looked half as good in his sports shirt as Matsumoto. But then again, Sho did spend most of his time in an office and Matsumoto in his gym. One had to consider that difference between them.  
Despite not wanting it to show, when Matsumoto pushed him and told him encouraging words beside him on the Leg Press, the Cables and the Lat Pulldown that day, it was evident that Sho struggled with the number of exercises, with the weight they’d put on.  
It caught Sho off guard when Matsumoto changed plans,  
“Follow me to the corner,” he said and forced Sho to rise from the bench, questions unsaid.  
In the corner of the room, there was a huge cot laid out over the floor where people stood or sat, using a variety of smaller tools: Dumb Bells, exercise balls, rubber bands and mats.  
Matsumoto turned to face Sho when Sho joined him on the cot, “When you exercise, it is important not only to train your strength and stamina, but your core muscles-,” it was so sudden that Sho almost yelped when Jun poked two fingers gently to his upper stomach muscles, below solar plexus, “and your flexibility,”  
A smug smile was on his lips as he removed his fingers again as if he knew exactly how stiff Sho was and always had been,  
“So,” Matsumoto turned around, “I suggest we work with the balance balls and some simple free exercises before we finish today.”  
It was clear that Matsumoto had not failed to notice how sloppy Sho’s movements were today, but he refrained from commenting on it, something which Sho was incredibly thankful for. He knew he could’ve done better, he did not need a trainer to tell him that. Matsumoto didn’t shove it in his face – that he was lazy or too tired or too weak. Sho couldn’t help but smile at Matsumoto’s perception – though he did not end the session just because Sho was tired, instead he changed it to Sho’s needs – which made Sho respect him all the more. There was something other than just the great physique to Matsumoto’s character, and with each session, Sho got the impression that Matsumoto was more than just a smug fitness nut with training clothes which were too tight, and an eagerness to show off; he was also a very attentive and caring person.  
There was one thing which came to annoy Sho though, once the trainer started to let him bend and stretch on the ball in all kinds of odd positions: While Sho was scrunching up his face in various grimaces due to the pain of stretching, Matsumoto was poking at him, telling him to move this, move that, turn like this, and ‘did he feel it stretching here? – because then he was doing it correctly’. And Sho wanted to yell at Matsumoto to just stop because it tickled and he was getting red in his face – and not only from concentration and exertion. Once, Sho even let out a yelp when Matsumoto unexpectedly pulled his leg,  
“You have to stretch your leg out. Seriously Sakurai-san, is that really impossible for you?” he asked, and Sho grunted,  
“I’m terribly s-sorry, Matsumoto-san,” was all he could get out in an annoyed tone, before clenching his teeth.  
When Matsumoto laughed, he wished he could stretch his leg so he could kick the fucker in the face for making fun of him. Matsumoto did not even apologize. With his head almost touching the floor, he suddenly got an idea,  
“Can’t you show me then?”  
If Matsumoto expected Sho to be able to do these exercises, he himself should show Sho exactly how it should be done, there was simply no other way around it.  
Sho turned on the ball and got up rather ungracefully as the ball started to roll away from him. With a snort, he concluded that he already hated the bright purple thing.  
Apparently, Sho’s request needed a bit more justification for Matsumoto to just willingly go down on the floor.  
“I think it would be easier for me to get an understanding of how the exercise is supposed to look, if you show me Matsumoto-san.” He explained to the trainer and his sceptically raised eyebrow.  
It was only fair that Matsumoto went on the ball as well with all the hardships he’d put Sho through. Honestly, Sho did not think he should be the only one on the receiving end of the trainer’s seemingly brilliant ideas. Finally, Matsumoto nodded,  
“Ok, I’ll show you.”  
Later, Sho would admit that he had not expected Matsumoto to have tamed the exercise ball that well. With the way the man made it look graceful as he sat down on it, eyes on Sho’s, the other man wanted to swallow the bitterness of not being able to look half as good as Matsumoto.  
“Let me explain again, Sakurai-san,” Matsumoto started, bouncing slightly on the ball, and Sho forced his mind to focus on the trainer’s words and not just his mouth, “The advantage of exercise balls is the way they help you train your core muscles,” he touched his own abdomen with both hands, “Your balance,” he moved his hips gently from side to side for effect, “And your flexibility,” When he leaned back all the way on the ball this time, head almost touching the floor on the other end, Sho really could not help but stare at the lines of Matsumoto’s upper body. With the shirt stretching and sneaking its way upwards, Sho could count every single one of Matsumoto’s ribs and easily make out the outline of his nipples. Sho licked his lips unconsciously.  
“Understand?”  
Sho hummed a response at Matsumoto’s muffled question from the other side of the ball. He wasn’t sure whether the trainer had said anything else after bending backwards, but that did not matter - Matsumoto wouldn’t be able to tell where Sho was looking anyway.  
Just as his eyes moved away from Matsumoto’s chest and made their way downwards towards his tights, Matsumoto made a move to get up and Sho tore his eyes away. Pity. He’d get another chance though.  
Instead of getting up, Matsumoto twisted his body around on the ball until he was lying sideways on it, facing Sho,  
“This is how I want you to do this exercise,” he stated, eyes fixed on Sho. With his legs straightened, feet touching the floor on one end and his head slightly tilted, Sho just could not help but find the pose incredibly sexy,  
“I see.” Was what he managed to respond, and he caught the sight of Matsumoto smirking, just before he rose from the ball.  
When he suddenly went up real close to Sho, so close that Sho could count the pretty moles around his mouth, his smirk widened,  
“Good. Your turn then.”  
His breath smelled of mint and his skin of cologne and sweat. Sho swallowed, “Okay, I will try,”  
Getting down on the ball again was not without difficulty, and Sho grunted as it shifted under his weight. He simply refused to slide off and land square on his ass so Matsumoto could laugh at him afterwards, not that Matsumoto wasn’t already laughing at him,  
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” he said between chuckles, “Try laying down on the side as I did… Yeah, like that. Good. Now straighten your legs.”  
As concentrated as Sho was, he couldn’t hold back the grunt he made from the effort, and he was sure his face was red. He closed his eyes as he straightened out his legs; the stretching in his side was strong and trying to keep his balance while at it, he simply couldn’t let the view of Matsumoto from here – the angle was so that he could only look straight at the trainer’s crotch – distract him.  
“How-” he yelped when he wobbled unstably on the ball, and now he kept his eyes shut to hide his embarrassment, “How long do I have to stay like this?”  
“Hmm… Only as long as I want you to.”  
The dark edge to Matsumoto’s voice made Sho’s eyes spring open, “And what is that supposed to mean? Oi!” Sho flapped his arms briefly and did his best to slide down from the ball not too clumsily. After planting his ass on the floor, he crossed his arms and looked up at Matsumoto who was hovering over him,  
“Don’t make fun of me!” Sho demanded.  
That caused Matsumoto to laugh in a burst, and despite Sho’s position, he found that he loved the way Matsumoto’s laugh reached his eyes and turned them into a pair of half-moons. Matsumoto leaned forward, hands on his thighs, mid-laugh, before he smiled apologetically,  
“I’m sorry, we’ll stop here.”  
You bet we will, Sho wanted to say, but instead he just sighed deeply,  
“Finally.”  
“Aww, it wasn’t that bad now, was it?” Matsumoto asked, eyes following Sho as he got up from the floor. The ball rolled away behind him.  
He grumbled, “I’m not a fan of balance balls,”  
Matsumoto laughed again, and Sho knew he would definitely think of that sound when his days at the office turned too dull,  
“I can see that. I hope you’ll get along better next time,”  
“And what do you mean by that?” Sho had hoped he wouldn’t have to hop onto that thing for the next few years to come.  
Matsumoto shrugged nonchalantly, “Well, now that I’ve seen the extent of your stiffness, I want us to do something about it.”  
“I don’t,” Sho pouted,  
His opposition made Matsumoto study him, eyes searching his face. Then he held up his hands, “Ok, ok, I’ll work on some other exercises we can do. After all there are lots of possibilities.”  
Sho nodded firmly,  
“But-” _what?_ “I’m sure you’ll miss the balance ball.”  
Maybe he would. He definitely would miss seeing Matsumoto on it. Maybe they could come up with an exercise where Sho sat on the abdominal bench with a few dumb bells while Matsumoto stretched that agile body of his around the ball? And Sho could watch. See, _that_ would be nice.  
 Sho gave Matsumoto a weak smile before he had to cover a yawn with his hand, “Sorry,”  
“I wish you’d let me write you a food plan, Sakurai-san,” Matsumoto suddenly said then, “It would improve your training so much if you changed your eating habits. I know you’re busy, but take-out is not good for you if you eat it too often.”  
Sho furrowed his brows. Why was that so important? It was none of Matsumoto’s business what he ate,  
“I appreciate your consideration, Matsumoto-san, but that won’t be necessary.”  
“I can find recipes for you that won’t take too long to prepare.”  
Of course, it was not right for Sho to be annoyed at Matsumoto since the man was just trying to help, even going as far as to suggest finding recipes for Sho. And he could not blame the trainer for not knowing the extent of his lacking cooking skills. Even if he had wanted to, Sho simply did not dare challenge any kinds of cooking experiments, when eggs and toast were usually fine for him. And a mushroom once in a while. Besides, it was not like there was time for him to cook by himself.  
“It is very considerate of you, Matsumoto-san, but you don’t have to,”  
Sho watched as the man’s face fell, and he found himself wondering why it apparently meant so much to this guy what Sho ate. He felt bad for brushing him off so quickly, and came up with an idea. Why he felt so bad for seeing Matsumoto disappointed was yet beyond him,  
“Maybe I can try and find some more vegetables in the office canteen, but I can’t promise you anything,” A bright grin on Matsumoto’s handsome face justified Sho’s answer, and now he _really_ wanted to search for that single carrot on the menu, just so he could tell Matsumoto afterwards, “I just have a really tight schedule, and I’m usually home very late, so there is not much time for cooking.”  
Then Matsumoto asked, “Won’t you tell me what it is exactly that you do, Sakurai-san?”  
Despite the gym being open to anyone, there weren’t many people around at this hour, which meant that Sho and his trainer usually had no problem using the tools and machines they needed. And they did not stand in the way, even in the middle of the gym where Matsumoto had apparently decided he wanted to stand and just chat with Sho. Though the topic was kind of related to Sho’s training, it was still the first time they had just talked. So Sho decided to indulge Matsumoto,  
“I work at the Kaze Drill company, and I am in charge of the department of internal sales which means, I, as head of the department, have to keep track of our sales revenue and cost expenses,” Sho explained, once pushing his eyebrows together when trying to formulate his description for Matsumoto to understand, “And that automatically leads to a lot of meetings,” he smiled apologetically at the man and shrugged, “If I don’t keep track, no one will.”  
With such a job description, he would’ve suspected Matsumoto to look bored – it wasn’t exactly a dream job for anyone, sitting in an office chair all day – but the man just nodded in understanding,  
“You seem to bear a large responsibility, you must be working hard,” the smile he then gave Sho made his heart jump in his chest, it was so warm, “I am glad you find the time to come here despite all your meetings. I suppose that is where all your stamina comes from.”  
Huh?  
It was a great surprise for Sho to hear Matsumoto say that. Sho did not exactly think he had great stamina, especially after his training session with Aiba Masaki where he gave up before the slimmer man – Sho had admitted to himself that he actually thought he’d beat the guy. Before he could ask Matsumoto to elaborate on the topic though, the man showed a card to him,  
“You should have my business card. Let me know when you can meet up the next time,” he said, their fingers grazing when Sho took the card, “Don’t push yourself too hard, I’ll find the time for you when you find a free spot in your schedule.”  
To Sho, the scene he found himself in was very alien. He had not expected for Matsumoto to turn 90 degrees like this and give him the space he needed to balance work and training. To him, it was suddenly hard to breathe right. But when Matsumoto smiled at him again, the clutching around his heart seemed to loosen – as if he should not feel bad for another person to take a small step to the side for his sake, as if it was ok for Sho _not_ to be the one to go out of his way for someone this time. Matsumoto bowed his head gently,  
“Take care until next time. And try eating some vegetables,” To the last part he added a wink which Sho reacted to instantly with a grin.  
“I’ll do my best. You take care as well.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ninomiya popped his head in around 11 am.  
“How is everything going today for you, Sakurai-san?” he asked, taking a single step inside the office after Sho’s nod of approval, “There’s been a few changes in your schedule today. I’ve moved the meeting with Yasuda-san to 3 pm., and Tanaka-san called and moved your appointment with him to tomorrow. Aside from that, your lunch meeting with Matsuoka-san from our department of research has been cancelled and moved to next week.”  
Sho had kept nodding as Ninomiya listed the various things, there was nothing new to constant changes to his schedule. If Ninomiya did not manage to plan Sho’s time to satisfaction – meaning, he should plan everything down to every single minute – Sho was perfectly capable of doing that himself. But that the meeting with Matsuoka had been moved all the way into next week made him frown.  
“Next week? Are you sure he does not have the time to see me earlier?” he asked.  
His secretary looked apologetic, “I’m sorry, but it seems he has asked for the weekend off to go with his wife and children to some hut in Hokkaido –  what they want to do there I have no idea – So there won’t be time in his schedule earlier than Monday next week.”  
Sho hummed in response, “I see. Well, I suppose that means we’ll need lunch from the cafeteria today, Nino.”  
His secretary grinned, “Your treat?” he asked and Sho was not surprised.  
“My treat,” he agreed which made Ninomiya shake his fist with a squeak of joy.  
Sho chuckled deeply. There were a few ways to make his secretary and friend really happy. Free food was one of them. Free games was another. Free things in general was a great way of turning Ninomiya over to one’s side.  
“If you go and get it for us, I’ll pay for anything you want,” Sho said, reaching for his drawer to find his wallet. Knowing Nino, he’d probably go for ramen either way. Out of the two of them, Sho was the one to buy the more expensive food.  
Nino was by his desk in a flash, hand outstretched and waiting for the cool cash,  
“Can I buy drinks too?” he wondered aloud, and Sho was actually surprised that Nino asked that. Was he trying to be cute?  
“You can buy drinks too. Just oolong tea for me please.”  
“And what of food?” Nino said as he was handed a few bills from Sho’s wallet, “Anything in particular?”  
“Anything is fine-“ Sho stopped himself, remembered, “Actually, Nino, if you can find something with a lot of vegetables in it, I’ll have that.”  
Ninomiya raised an eyebrow, “Vegetables?”  
“Yes, vegetables. The green stuff,”  
Of course, Nino probably wasn’t used to Sho asking for the healthy food. No, Sho did not prefer to live of fast food. Vegetables weren’t much fun, but Sho had to admit that greasy food tended to make him feel bloated.  
“With some meat too, thanks.” He left no room for further arguments when he turned to the papers in front of him. Grabbing his expensive ink-pen, he made a show out of getting back to work.  
Just before he went out the door, Sho caught Ninomiya mumbling something about ‘suddenly being all health aware’ before his voice vanished down the corridor. Sho smiled. He had promised his trainer to take better care after all.  
Ten minutes later, Ninomiya returned to Sho’s office carrying a tray. Sho had managed to read a couple of charts and graphs and had just gotten his thoughts wrapped around how the information was to be used, but the smell of food made him raise his head out of reflex.  
His eyes were probably looking hopeful, because Nino chuckled as he put the grey plastic tray down in front of Sho,  
“So, I really went out of my way to get these yummy things for you, Sho-chan,” he pointed at the plate, “Look, this is a salad that the lovely canteen lady mixed personally for you. It has got lettuce, pieces of cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and cute little tomatoes in it. See, she even cut them into little star-shapes,” Sho was biting his lip to hold back a laugh, “And, _look_ at this Sho-chan: I found chicken breast in the hot corner. Just because it is you and you are the best boss in the world, I even gave you a bit of soy sauce on the side,” Nino threw him a salute and bowed deep.  
Sho just couldn’t help but grin at his secretary, “You are wonderful, Nino.” He admitted, “Thank you.”  
With a wave of his hand, Ninomiya dismissed the praise, “No, no not at all. Oh, and your oolong tea is there too. Perfectly chilled.”  
“I hope you remembered to get yourself something good too?” pulling his tray slowly towards himself with both hands, Sho raised his eyebrows at Nino.  
“Of course, Sakurai-san,” he changed to formal speaking, and made Sho chuckle again, “Since my boss told me to get whatever I wanted, I of course went and got myself miso ramen.”  
Of course. Sho shook his head, smiling,  
“Remind me to treat you to yakiniku one of these days, Nino. You can’t live on ramen.”  
“Nonsense Sho-chan. Yakiniku is unnecessarily expensive anyway. But you can treat me to ramen from that stand around the corner anytime,” he winked, “Oh, or maybe even the udon shop you’ve told me about.”  
What would Sho do without Ninomiya to brighten his day? Hardworking, intelligent and cheeky, he was more than just an old classmate. He was Sho’s best friend.  
He smiled,  
“Thank you Nino.” His words were also a dismissal, an unsaid request for Ninomiya to leave his office. Not that that meant the guy would take the hint. Instead, he dropped his ass down on the chair across from Sho, elbows put down on the table and then he started pulling the plastic off his ramen bowl.  
Sho ignored it. Because now that the other man was here, he found that maybe it wasn’t so bad to have company for a while, to take a break and just talk instead of wolfing down his food while typing furiously on his computer.  
Ninomiya broke the silence,  
“So, Sho-chan. Aiba-shi tells me that you’ve been visiting the gym quite often recently. And alone. And that you always come to work exhausted the day after.” Sho knew what he was insinuating before he uttered the words, “What is so interesting in that gym anyway? That you’d rather leave Aiba out, and it drains all your energy?”  
Sho cleared his throat and stopped poking at his piece of chicken breast. He had only managed to eat a single star tomato and a few leaves of rocket lettuce.  
“I am doing what one would normally do in a gym, Nino: I exercise.” He answered, shooting a single glare at the man opposite him, daring him to continue. And continue he did:  
“Is that it, Sho-chan? You sure there is nothing _real_ nice to look at on those treadmills? Something which has caught your fancy?”  
Ninomiya knew about Sho’s preferences too, so he knew that Sho probably wasn’t looking at the women in their gym clothes. Sho’s friend probably also knew that yes, Sho was indeed looking at something, in fact, he was more than just looking at something.  
“I am sorry, Ninomiya, but that really is none of your business,” he continued staring at his food, finally taking a piece of chicken into his mouth, just to give himself an excuse not to talk.  
Ninomiya, the bastard, leaned in over the table, a slim smirk on his face – Sho’s most hated expression of his,  
“He must really be something, this gym trainer, for you to frequent him so often,”  
Sho spluttered and had to grab for his bottle of tea, coughing and trying his best to breathe.  
What was up with Ninomiya’s way of putting it anyway? There was a huge difference between _looking_ at his gym trainer, and actually _doing_ something about it. Sho, of all people, knew how improper and unprofessional it would be to do something about the increasing attraction he felt towards Matsumoto. As Sho got his coughing under control and swallowed his meat with difficulty, he weighted his options: Somehow, he wanted to tell Ninomiya about Matsumoto, but he also felt as if it was too early. There was nothing between them, he told himself. Nothing aside from Sho wanting Matsumoto quite badly. Honestly.  
But that did not mean there was anything between the two of them, nothing leading to anything anyway. Sho groaned loudly and put a hand through his hair, messing it up.  
“I’d rather keep it professional, Nino.” He admitted. There was no one other than Nino he ever allowed to see his less uptight side like this. No one else who saw how Sho looked when frustrated or unsure. Sho usually did not want to admit showing insecurities.  
There had been something in Sho’s voice, in his way of looking at Ninomiya which made the younger man understand. Because he nodded and leaned back in his chair, the smile disappearing. One could say a lot about Ninomiya Kazunari, but he knew when to quit – he was not insensible.  
“I understand, Sho-kun. Just…” his sigh made Sho look at him. Nino did not often sigh, “Just don’t hold yourself back ok? You’ve been doing that for way too long already.”  
Sho did not know what to say to that. His friend was probably right. But he feared that during this long period of having nothing other than work on his hands all the time, he had forgotten how to search for something else, had forgotten how to let go.  
  
*  
  
Just because Sho had made Matsumoto promise not to use the exercise balls anymore, did not mean that the trainer couldn’t force Sho out in weird positions in other ways.  
“Ugh, this hurts! When can I stop?”  
“Not until I say so, stop whining,”  
Sho was trying so reach his feet, bent over at the front, and he had to admit it was impossible. Which of course meant that Matsumoto disagreed. Sho felt a hand on his back and couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him,  
“What are you-?” and then Matsumoto pressed down, “Arg! What _are_ you doing? That’s dangerous!” Sho’s yell was being completely ignored, and Matsumoto just continued to force his upper body further down, chuckling while at it.  
“Oi you! Stop, please, no, I can’t-”  
Sho was groaning with the effort, closing his eyes, but he did try. He really did try to reach his feet, but he couldn’t. In the end, Matsumoto took pity on him,  
“Okay, that’s good. Next position.”  
Sho could only whine again, grimacing in a pretend sob which made Matsumoto look at him and laugh,  
“It’s only going to get better from here,” he promised.  
“It will never get better. Matsumoto-san, I have been this stiff for as long as I can remember,” Sho pouted, but sat down on the cot anyway when Matsumoto motioned for him to do so.  
“Let me show you the next position,”  
“Okay.”  
Had he agreed too quickly?  
Matsumoto looked at him with a grin, “You have probably seen this one before,” and spread his legs as wide as they could go on the cot, and Sho had to marvel at his flexibility. He was a bit taken aback then though. Matsumoto was giving him the perfect excuse to ogle at his thighs and shins, as well as what was between his legs, and Sho was beginning to wonder if Matsumoto was doing it on purpose. He certainly did not comment on Sho’s eyes continuing to flicker between his face and his taut inner thighs. As a matter of fact, he was still smiling, looking up at Sho through his long eyelashes.  
“Stretch forward first,” Matsumoto stretched forward and Sho stared. He would never be able to lean that far down, it was crazy. “Then go left,” Matsumoto stretched left, “And next, right,” and Matsumoto went right.  
This was a very simple exercise, but Sho could already feel the heat shifting under his skin at the thought of the two of them changing positions. It was kind of exciting, and very much improper.  
When Matsumoto got up again, Sho moved to spread his legs, and was embarrassed to realize how sharp the angle between his legs were. He snorted,  
“This is pathetic compared to you, Matsumoto-san,”  
Matsumoto surprised Sho by saying:  
“Nonsense, Sakurai-san, here, let me help,”  
Sho was unsure of how to react when his trainer acted like this – the man would make fun of him one second, and be completely serious the next. Or be considerate like he was now. As if he knew exactly why Sho was laughing at himself, as if he knew that it was Sho’s way of hiding his embarrassment. Or maybe his willingness to help right now was just an excuse; Sho wasn’t really sure.  
He went to stand right behind Sho, and Sho felt Matsumoto’s feet just touching his behind. Then his hands were on Sho’s shoulder blades, and he did not warn Sho before he started pushing him forward.  
“Ouch, ouch ouch...” Sho mumbled, mostly to himself, since there would be no mercy from Matsumoto.  
Stretching, Sho reached forward with his hands, mimicking Matsumoto as well as he could. Though, he still was far from touching the ground with his upper body. He could understand the importance of stretching though, he could feel how his blood flowed faster and more easily through his veins. No pain no gain. It wasn’t as if this was worse than the training Matsumoto had put him through earlier today on the machines.  
“Ok, keep holding that position,” Matsumoto said, and his hands let go of Sho’s shoulders. Sho’s skin felt oddly cold now that Matsumoto was not there.  
But he was not deprived for long. Matsumoto kneeled between his legs, and Sho was just about to protest, heart beating violently in his chest, when Matsumoto grabbed his knees and pushed his legs in opposite directions. Instantly, Sho started protesting, lifting a hand towards the trainer – but the warmth in his cheeks, flaming up on his neck was not due to the pain in his inner thighs.  
Matsumoto’s hands were burning. As if the sparks Sho had felt before weren’t enough, the direct contact was close to making him go crazy. Sho bit his lip hard, trying his best to come up with something – anything – to stop the heat from Matsumoto’s hands spreading inwards and upwards on his thighs. Conversely, he wanted so badly to lean to his right, to place his lips at Matsumoto’s ear and ask him to move his hands further up, to move them towards his inner thighs and eventually right where he could imagine them right now.  
There was no way he wanted to moan, but it was getting increasingly difficult with the mixture of pain and pleasure Sho was experiencing now,  
“Ow,”  
The word came out a whisper and then Matsumoto lifted his head to look at him. Sho had to swallow, they were so close, Matsumoto’s slender fingers still gripping his legs, and Sho could see those moles so clearly, he could see the different shades of brown in Matsumoto’s eyes, even the small hollows and dents in Matsumoto’s skin. The bobbing of Matsumoto’s Adams’s apple as he swallowed made Sho’s eyes flicker down to his neck and his breath caught in his throat. Boy, he could easily imagine what it would feel like to run his tongue over the skin there.  
Matsumoto licked his lips and Sho had to suck a breath in through his mouth.  
Suddenly, Matsumoto let go of his legs and Sho’s heart jumped when he realized he had been leaning forward, towards Matsumoto’s tempting lips. Without the support of Matsumoto’s hands, Sho had to put his hands down quickly in front of himself to balance his weight.  
When Matsumoto cleared his throat, it pleased Sho to see the flustered expression on his face, his cheeks red. _Good._ Sho had not been the only one to feel this one.  
“I think-” Matsumoto cleared high throat again when his voice came out croaked, “I think this will be enough for today.”  
Yes, he was indeed flustered. And it made Sho’s heart jump and a smirk to grace his face. So he wasn’t the only one affected after all. Well wasn’t _this_ interesting. Maybe Matsumoto had bitten off more than he could chew.  
  
*  
  
Sho had been going to the gym for more than a month, getting increasingly stronger and more fit with the help of Matsumoto Jun. He owed it to his trainer that he could now lift more weight, he could run longer and faster, his pectorals had swelled and his abdominal muscles had become sharper. But what was even better was how his energy had risen in general: His head felt clearer and it wasn’t as hard for him to get up early in the mornings, especially when he knew how he faced eggs and coffee for breakfast. The eggs were also Matsumoto’s idea when Sho had asked for other tips to his eating, simple tips which did not crave too much of his time.  
What had changed the most was the air between Sho and his trainer though. Sho could feel how the tension rose each time they faced each other again after a break between training sessions, he could sense how the electric current got stronger every time he met the man, and every time Matsumoto laughed at him or commanded him to do something, or even just smiled at him, his heart would swell. Whether it was in happiness, Sho was not sure. But he knew that he had come to enjoy Matsumoto’s company more than the training sessions themselves. He was no longer looking forward to just the exercise after work, but to seeing Jun.  
Their training sessions were no longer just serious, but also fun, though Sho had to admit that they had seemed to tease each other right from the very beginning when they met. Matsumoto continued to put Sho in all kinds of exposed positions, and Sho was sure that the other man got more and more physical every time, and it really was a miracle how Sho had managed to hide his arousal until now. There were only two ways the relationship between the two of them could end, the tension would snap at some point, and really, it was only a matter of time.  
Sho had had a change of schedule that day, resulting in his last meeting dragging out longer than expected, so he had to call Matsumoto in the late afternoon, telling him that they had to cancel their session. Which he regretted deeply. He had really been looking forward to see the man after two days of resting – since he’d had to go meet a possible new client on Wednesday. The thought of the excitement it would bring was what had gotten Sho out of bed. Matsumoto surprised him with his suggestion that afternoon though,  
“Why don’t you come after your meeting? The gym will be open until 12 am., if you think you have the energy for a later session?”  
It left Sho considering how to formulate a proper reply. The slight challenge in Matsumoto’s last words did not go unnoticed, but Sho was not surprised. It had been nothing but teases and challenges for the past week. Sho was so close to snapping that it was getting increasingly dangerous for the both of them, and Matsumoto was certainly not doing anything to stop the course of events.  
“I think my meeting will be over around 9 pm., so I could be in the gym at 9.30? If it does not bother you, Matsumoto-san, I imagine you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow as well,”  
Matsumoto’s voice on the phone ignored the formalities completely, “9.30 sounds fine, I’ll be waiting for you. Sakurai-kun, good work.”  
He hung up before Sho had time to react to the new honorific added to his name. Well, wasn’t this something.  
When he entered the first of two meetings, Ninomiya asked him why he was smiling.  
  
Four hours later, Sho was rushing as he packed all his things together. It was already half past nine, he was late for the gym session with Matsumoto, and he felt increasingly worried about it. What if Matsumoto left the gym while he was rushing to get there? Sho hated being late, he hated it when his schedule did not work out as he wanted, and he hated it when he left people waiting for him. This was so not good.  
Ninomiya started to say something to him, but Sho just flew past him, out the door, one arm tugged into the sleeve of his jacket, an apology thrown at the wind. His secretary would forgive him, Sho knew. Whatever it was he wanted to say, surely it could wait till tomorrow?  
With his gym bag slung over one shoulder and his briefcase in another, Sho hurried to the train since it was faster than walking to the gym which was actually quite close by. Lifting his left hand to look at his watch, Sho realized he wouldn’t be able to reach the gym before 10. Shit.  
All kinds of thoughts ran through Sho’s mind as the train ran painfully slow, including how he had wanted to see Matsumoto so badly, and now he might’ve missed his chance. What if Matsumoto truly got mad at him? He had left him waiting for him for more than 2 hours past their initial appointment already, and now an additional 30 minutes? He felt so darn bad about it – he certainly would not blame Matsumoto for leaving the gym, letting Sho sulk and train by himself tonight. Sho sighed deeply. Wasn’t this great.  
He ran from the train to the gym, and his heartrate quickened when he finally saw the lights from the gym. Hopefully someone was there. If he was lucky, it was Matsumoto.  
When he finally pushed the door open and tumbled into the warm gym, he was panting hard. He could totally skip the warm up today.  
Immediately, he started searching for Matsumoto, for the gorgeous man in the purple t-shirt, while he took off his shoes clumsily.  
He could not see him anywhere.  
“Ah, no. Shit. Damnit.” he mumbled to himself, heart sinking.  
Well, what had he expected anyway?  
Sho wanted to go home. It was so late already, and there was no one else in the gym - it was empty – which meant that if Sho stayed, he’d be staying alone with his gloomy thoughts. Nothing to distract him. But since he had come all the way here, he decided to train anyway. Matsumoto had more than once told him that one could increase their mood with exercise. Maybe it would work today too. And he had warmed up already after all, Sho thought humourlessly. _Wonderful._  
His movements were slow and demotivated as he changed into his training shirt and sweatpants, locking his briefcase in one of the lockers. He realized he had even forgotten his water bottle on the desk in his office. Could things get any better now?  
Seriously, it was no fun training alone. Not anymore.  
There was a vending machine in the gym, so Sho spent an additional 30 seconds searching for a few coins in his wallet. When he finally left the lockers, the gym felt even quieter than before. Sho shivered. It was even a little spooky.  
Making his way to the vending machine, he convinced himself to make the best of the situation and just get this hour over with and go home to bed. There was more work on his desk tomorrow craving his attention, to turn his thoughts elsewhere. He realized he had been staring at the machine for too long without deciding anything, when he heard someone approach him,  
“Seriously, how long do you intend for me to wait?”  
Sho whirled around, and found Matsumoto with his arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on his face. His eyes went up and down Sho’s body, making Sho feel incredibly self-conscious, “I have been waiting for more than half an hour and you’re just standing there in your own thoughts? That’s rude, Sakurai-kun.”  
Again with the new honorific. With that addition, Sho knew that things couldn’t be that bad. Already, his insides had started to warm up at the sight of Matsumoto. Even if the man was wearing shorts over his tights today. Why was that anyway? Still, the first thing he did was bow deeply,  
“I am so sorry! The meeting dragged out, and when I finally got here I couldn’t see you anywhere,” he said, facing the floor, before he timidly lifted his head again. He gnawed on his lip, looking at Matsumoto’s unchanging posture. “I thought you had left Matsumoto-kun,” he admitted, eyes flickering away for the briefest of seconds, “Which I wouldn’t put past you of course.”  
Then Matsumoto tsked, and Sho saw how his expression turned into a shy smile,  
“Of course I wouldn’t leave,” he was putting one arm across his body, holding onto the elbow of his other arm, “I knew you would’ve called if you had to cancel so… I figured you wouldn’t leave me hanging on purpose,” The look he shot Sho through his eyelashes went straight between Sho’s legs.  
Matsumoto was looking increasingly embarrassed as if he was shy that he had been waiting so long for Sho, as if he had wanted to see Sho as badly as Sho had wanted to see him. Sho was so close to stepping into Jun’s space and take his head between his hands, he even had to put an arm on the vending machine to lean his weight there, or he would’ve fallen forward.  
Sho smiled at him, “I am really terribly sorry you had to wait, but I am glad you did not leave. I have been looking forward to our session after all,” he voiced out and enjoyed the spark in Matsumoto’s eyes.  
“Well,” the trainer said, dropping his arm and his shy posture, “Let’s get to it then!” All professional again, Sho noted and followed Matsumoto to the Lat Pulldown.  
Everything went as usual with a few laughs and prods here and there from Matsumoto, but when the trainer told Sho to sit down on the Abdominal Bench, something changed. After Sho sat down, Jun bent over and took hold of his legs to guide them under the support pat,  
“You have to be careful with this workout, and do it correctly. If not, it can actually lead to back problems,” he told Sho, “And I wouldn’t be worth much as a trainer if I guided you to back problems, now would I?” He looked up at Sho, and his smile froze.  
Sho had not heard a single word of what he said. The second Matsumoto’s hands touched his thighs, his muscles tensed and he felt electrocuted. It was late, Sho was tired, his patience was stretched thin, and there was no one else in the gym. Only the two of them, so nothing was there to retain Sho within the short distance between them. The increasing confusion evident in Matsumoto’s big, expressive eyes only pushed Sho further, and before he knew it, he had grabbed hold of the front of Matsumoto’s t-shirt, his hand clenching in the soft fabric and pulled Matsumoto towards him. It was an instant reaction to the desire welling up in him. When his lips finally met Jun’s, sparks went off behind his eyelids, and he realized how long he had been deprived of this. Despite his want, his heart was beating loudly in his ears while he waited for Matsumoto’s reaction. He did not have to wait long.  
Matsumoto sighed a second after, sounding as if he had been waiting and waiting for Sho to make this very move, and now Sho felt how his warm hands cradled his face desperately, as Matsumoto deepened the kiss, moving his soft lips against Sho’s. Sho could not help the groan when he let go, allowing relief and arousal to course through his body, the rising courage enabling him to poke his tongue between Jun’s lips, until he opened his mouth up to Sho, and allowed him free roaming inside the heat of his mouth. _Damn, he had wanted this._  
Matsumoto leaned further forward then, resting his knee on the bench pad between Sho’s legs, and tilted his head to give Sho’s tongue better access. One of his hands moved to the back of Sho’s head to entwine his fingers with Sho’s thick hair, but for the time being, Sho dwelled on the sensation of Jun’s hot lips and his wet tongue and the air he sucked from Sho’s mouth.  
“Sho,” Matsumoto whispered breathlessly between kisses and Sho swore he had dreamt of hearing his name leave Matsumoto’s pretty mouth like that since he met him.  
He left a long drawn out breath by Jun’s ear, before he moved his lips to graze the mole on the right side of Jun’s nape, one of many. Sho wondered if he could find more underneath Jun’s clothes. His hands came to automatically rest on the curve of Jun’s hips as Jun moved to nibble lightly at Sho’s bottom lip, and Sho could not deny how arousing it was when Jun started tugging a bit harder, so to retaliate, he moved his head to start licking his way down the long neck he had admired for so long, taking his time to feel the planes of the sternomastoid and how Jun’s Adam’s apple felt under his tongue. When he gently sucked and bit into the latter, Jun let out a quiet whine and pulled at Sho’s hair. Sho wondered if all of Jun’s seemingly genius exercises had been used to draw them both to this very point in time.  
“I have a confession,” Jun breathed suddenly against Sho’s cheek, lowering his head and licking at the shell of Sho’s ear, causing goose bumps to rise all over the skin on his arms, “When I saw you here for the first time,” the hand that wasn’t buried in his hair went travelling down Sho’s back, Jun’s fingers clawing slightly at the muscles around Sho’s spine, “It was from behind,”  
His hand was now caressing Sho’s lower back and Sho expressed himself with a growl against Jun’s collarbone, hands sneaking under the hem of Jun’s shirt to finger at soft skin. “I do not know, if you have noticed,” Sho grinned in satisfaction at Jun’s gasp when he used his teeth on Jun’s clavicle, “But you look- incredible from behind,”  
The way he was able to take Jun’s breath away, to render him unable to express himself satisfied Sho to no end. Matsumoto had been doing the very thing to Sho for weeks now, but to realize that Sho had the same effect on Matsumoto under other circumstances made Sho feel in control again.  
As if to emphasize his opinion, Jun’s fingers snuck their way under Sho’s sports shirt to graze the hem of his sweatpants, testing the waters, before he bravely moved them underneath the band and prodded lightly against the top of Sho’s buttocks, tickling the beginning of his ass crack. It earned him a hiss escaping Sho, before Sho crashed his lips against Jun’s again in a messy, wet kiss. Then Jun moved his hand back to the front, and placed it against Sho’s clothed erection. Sho moaned against Jun’s lips, bucking slightly against Jun’s hand, wondering whether Jun knew how crazy he was making him,  
“Jun,” he begged while Jun’s fingers played around the tip of his cock. He was so hard, and he wanted Matsumoto so badly it hurt. But it was impossible here. In such a public place. Sho was all about professionalism, so the situation was stressful and strange, but also _so_ arousing that it only made Sho go even crazier. Here they were, trainer and trainee with their tongues twirling around one another, each of them enjoying how the other felt underneath their fingertips, finally allowed to touch. Jun suddenly drew away with a wet sound, and lowered himself downwards. He did not tell Sho anything, but spoke with his eyes as he let his hands glide down Sho’s biceps, resting briefly at his wrists, telling him wordlessly to stay with his hands at his sides. Then he put his hands on Sho’s knees and before Sho knew it, Jun looked up at him from the floor, mischief gleaming in his eyes. Sho’s eyes widened,  
“You are not-?”  
Jun silenced him with his thumb and forefinger, squeezing his lips together, “No one is around anyway. Don’t worry, Sakurai-san.” As soon as he moved his fingers away again, Sho wetted his lips and looked on in anticipation. Jun’s hands started massaging Sho’s inner thighs and Sho’s toes curled. It was so hot, and so wrong and Sho couldn’t help looking around the room, making sure no one saw them. There were windows in the gym, but he could hope he and Jun were far enough away for people at a distance not to see them. When Jun’s hands came to the junction between Sho’s thighs and his cock, he threw his head back in a deep sigh, hands fisting at his sides. Gods, he wanted Jun at his cock so badly, and Jun was _teasing_.  
“Sho,”  
The use of his name in a deeper pitch made Sho snap his head back to focus his black eyes on Jun once again, taking in the picture of his form right there between his legs, eyes shining in lust, mouth open as he panted slightly. Sho wanted to burn that very picture to his memory, so he could draw it forth whenever he was alone in the shower. This was the Jun he would think of then.  
“I want you to lift that perfect ass of yours,” he demanded, and Sho smirked and put his hands back to support his weight, obliging eagerly.  
As Jun’s fingers hooked around the waistband of his sweats, Sho lifted himself from the bench just slightly, just so Jun could pull down his sweats and underwear enough for his erection to spring free. Sho was watching Jun all the time, and he growled in appreciation at the sight of Jun biting his bottom lip, eyes on Sho’s cock proudly standing between his legs. Sho couldn’t wait to feel Jun’s mouth on him –  not just his hands –  he wanted that heat to engulf him and for Jun to show what he could also do with that skilled tongue of his. And maybe Jun could see it in his eyes, maybe he could guess, because he asked,  
“What do you want me to do Sho?”  
His eyes were probably as full of desire as Sho’s was, and with the way Jun was practically asking for it, Sho was quick to answer, his voice a low growl,  
“I want you to take me into your mouth, Jun. Show me how you put those hot lips of yours to good use.”  
And Jun grinned. Eyes fixed on Sho’s, he leaned forward and at the first touch of his mouth against Sho’s cock, no more than a kiss, Sho bucked his hips again and Jun chuckled,  
“Play nice,” he put his hands on Sho hips before circling his hand around the base. When Jun placed his tongue against the underside of Sho’s length, Sho bit his lip, and he struggled to stay still when Jun moved his tongue upwards, following the thick vein running from the base to the tip. The attack of sensations overwhelming Sho were half the feeling of Jun, half the sight of him.  
Jun continued lapping at him with his tongue, swirling it teasingly around the head, and when he let it slide over the slit to lick away the pre-come gathered there, Sho’s breath caught in his throat,  
“Jun,” he begged, trying to lift his hips to force his cock into Jun’s mouth, making Jun chuckle again. Even if Jun was the one on his knees, he had Sho completely at his mercy and so far he had not made a move to help Sho out of his misery.  But he seemed to finally decide on indulging Sho, opening his mouth wide to close his lips around Sho, making Sho’s breath hitch in his throat at the obscene sight before Jun’s lips engulfed him. A guttural groan escaped Sho when Jun took him deeper, letting his tongue caress the sides of Sho’s cock, his spit making it increasingly easier for him to bob his head up and down Sho’s length. Sho grabbed hold of Jun’s short, dark locks of hair and once more arched his back, bringing his cock deeper into Jun’s mouth this time, causing Jun to whimper quietly. Which of course only urged Sho on; the desire to see Jun struggling made him push Jun’s head gently forward, asking Jun to take more of him, for Sho to feel the heat all the way to the base of his cock.  
Jun’s hand moved further down the erection as he took more and more of Sho, and Sho had to admit that Jun was good at dragging it out, and enduring it, for Sho to feel as much as possible. Jun was nothing if not attentive to details and perfection. Slowly, but surely, Sho was being reduced to sighs and moans while Jun increased his speed, tilted his head, shifted positions while he worked on taking Sho deeper. In the end, he was forced to take his eyes away from Sho when he suddenly slowed down to guide Sho’s cock all the way to the back of his throat. And Sho trashed his head back with a load moan, lifting his hips out of reflex, making Jun choke. The sensation of Jun’s throat closing around Sho pushed him closer to the edge, and he panted when Jun moved his mouth back up,  
“No,” he groaned, he was _so_ close, he did not want Jun to stop, did not want him to slow down.  
Surprisingly then, Jun made his mouth go lax and swallowed all of him, pressing his tongue to the underside of Sho’s cock so the tip hit the back of his throat. It made Sho snap, and even if he had wanted to, he couldn’t stop when he started thrusting softly into Jun’s mouth, as much as their position allowed him to. Though Jun whimpered and closed his eyes, he allowed Sho to chase his approaching orgasm, allowed him to fist Jun’s hair and enjoy the wet, slurping sounds Jun’s mouth made as he continued to suck.  
“Jun. Fuck. Yes.” Sho chanted and it did not take more than a few minutes before Jun once again choked around his cock, the clenching sensation pushing Sho into an intense orgasm, and he came with a guttural groan, seeing white behind his eyelids. Jun did his best to swallow all of what Sho gave him, though he did not quite manage. Sho caught him just as he thumbed away the last of Sho’s come at the corner of his mouth, before he licked it off his finger, eyes burning into Sho’s. It made Sho growl in approval and he reached forward to grab Jun’s chin to place a hard kiss against his swollen, abused lips. It made Jun whimper quietly again and Sho tasted himself on Jun’s tongue, while he thanked Jun for what he had just done for him.  
When they broke apart, Jun smiled at Sho, the light in his eyes childish and proud, and Sho found himself thinking Jun adorable in that very moment. Which left an strange warmth in Sho, which was odd considering the situation. Before he knew it, he had sunk to his knees in front of Jun on the floor, after tugging his cock back into his pants. While his fingers played with a strand of Jun’s dark hair, he studied Jun’s face; his strong features, his eyebrows, his expressive eyes. Then he pulled the strand of hair behind Jun’s ear, and Jun spoke,  
“I have been wanting do that for a very long time,” he admitted, eyes darting obviously to Sho’s lips, making Sho grin and remember the heat all over his skin.  
When Jun grabbed the back of his head again, Sho wasn’t surprised by the demand he could feel in the kiss, but nevertheless gasped when Jun took him by the wrist and guided Sho’s hand to his own crotch.  
“Please,” Jun’s voice was husky by his ear, and turned into a mewl when Sho started stroking Jun’s rock hard erection through his shorts.  
So that was why he had been wearing shorts today, Sho realized with an obnoxious grin. It was just so very satisfying to know he drove the other man crazy.  
“Let’s do something about this, shall we?” Sho said in a whisper, their lips stroking one another at each syllable pronounced.  
  
They stood facing each other in the gym showers, hot mist rising between them, covering the white tiles, the small windows, blocking out the non-existent light. It was quiet but for the echo of their mingling ragged breaths, as hot as the water flowing down their naked bodies.  
The heavy droplets gathered in Jun’s long eyelashes as he looked at Sho through them, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, showing a shy side that Sho was only just discovering. Sho’s hand caressed the expanse of Jun’s broad torso, ran over his powerful shoulders and biceps. He marvelled at the strength in Jun’s body, at the tightness of his soft skin over bone and flesh, and as his hand travelled lower, he found himself admiring the magnificent creature right in front of him.  
Jun let out a deep breath right against Sho’s lips, before he closed the distance between them in a leisure, slow kiss, matching the mood, the wonder of only each other’s company.  
Jun’s abdominal muscles clenched and unclenched beneath Sho’s hand, rippling hills in movement, until the tips of Sho’s fingers came in contact with the head of Jun’s stiff cock. The shivers running over Jun’s skin matched Sho’s own at the sensation of the water against his body and Jun’s heat mixing in the enveloped space.  
Jun hissed and bit Sho’s earlobe hard when Sho closed his hand around him. And Sho pumped Jun for as many moans and whimpers as he could, enjoying the sound of each and every one of them, enjoying how Jun grabbed his upper arms for support, how Jun’s mouth stayed at his ear for him to hear exactly how pleased he was with what Sho did to him.  
Sho leaned closer for his lips to graze over Jun’s cheek, to lean his cheek against Jun’s, feeling the heat of the other’s skin against his own,  
“Fall apart. I want you to let go for me,” he rumbled deeply and Jun moaned. The skin of Jun’s cock was soft and moist, and Sho teased the swollen tip of him by circling his thumb over the slit, “I want you, Jun.”  
It resulted in Jun digging his nails into the skin of Sho’s shoulder blades, which in turn made Sho growl.  
“Sho.”  
And as Sho increased the pace and pressure around Jun’s cock, he watched as Jun slowly came undone by his hand, moaning in Sho’s ear while he marked Sho’s back with his nails and Sho placed his own marks all over Jun’s sensitive skin.


	3. Chapter 3

It appeared to be turning into a real crappy day for Sho. With paperwork piling up and no end in sight, two people running around with snotty noses and two more home in bed, and an Aiba who kept fumbling and tripping over his own feet, Sho’s patience was running real thin at 4 pm.  
“Aiba-san, put that printer down before you hurt someone!!” Ninomiya yelled desperately from outside Sho’s office, and Sho rubbed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.  
Nino rarely raised his voice in that way, he rarely made use of any proper honorifics, and when he got up from his chair, almost jumping over his desk, Sho knew he was on his last ounce of stamina as well. Sho had been behind his desk since 7 am., receiving calls and answering emails and tons of relevant and irrelevant questions from here and there and everywhere, and aside from that, he’d had to deal with more incoming orders and schedules which had to be rescheduled.    
And the day was not going to end here. At 6 pm., the party the head of the office had decided to throw started, and Sho was one of the few who was expected to show up, who _had_ to show his face, despite really not wanting to. This day was just a disaster.  
The only thing which had kept him going without throwing a fit was the short message left on his private phone – a few words he had brought out every time he needed a boost of energy.  
  
**Jun:**  
_I cannot believe that actually happened._  
Can’t wait to see you again on Monday ^_^  
  
Even now, he could not help but smile. And he imagined how Jun’s lips had felt against his ear as he breathed out a moan and warm come left Sho’s hand sticky before water washed it away.  
But despite the smile, and the fuzzy feeling, he felt bad too. His usual professionalism would never have allowed such a thing to happen, but now it had. He had not been able to stay away from Matsumoto, and honestly, he had not wanted to. But what would happen now? Would he have to give up their training sessions? He would. He knew he would.  
Professionalism aside, it was not a good idea to spread his legs or strut his ass in the gym room near Matsumoto now. And that went for Matsumoto and his black tights as well.  
Sho leaned his elbows on his desk and ruffled up his hair in a frustrated gesture, grunting loudly. Damn it all.  
“I know the feeling Sho-chan, that party today really is a huge bummer. You wish you were me,” Nino had apparently managed to save the printer, since he was now leaning in the doorframe, arms crossed and looking positively smug, “Then you could stay home with a beer and a hot bathtub. And end the night with videogames and more beer. But here you are: Stuck, frustrated and with co-workers crawling around your feet and a boss who’ll probably stop at nothing to get you drunk tonight.”  
Sho narrowed his eyes and his other hand joined the first one in worrying his ruffled locks.  
“Yeah,” Ninomiya sighed for emphasis, “I feel bad for you.”  
“Do you wish to make a point, Ninomiya-san?” Sho gritted out, jaw clenched tight. It was seriously not the time to test his patience.  
Nino tilted his head cutely at Sho, smirk widening, and Sho suddenly knew what the imp was thinking.  
“But at least something good happened last night, didn’t it Sho-chan? Did he give you something good?”  
“Get out.”  
  
The world around him was blurred. No, make that foggy. Foggy and blurred. And unstable. Tilting even. Why was the ground under his feet so unstable? Was this an earthquake? Because damn, that would just be soooo unlucky.  
Sho laughed. Yes, that would be truly stupid. Right now of all times. As if it wasn’t hard enough to walk already, the asphalt had decided to play games as well, rising up and falling down, making him nearly tilt, grabbing onto a lightning pole for safety.  
He giggled. Maybe he’d had too much to drink. That guy Matsuoka had provided him with plenty of beer. Oh, and then Matsuda had shown him the expensive sake he had bought for the occasion. And he could not refuse a taste of that. Or ten. No. No, maybe it had been too much after all.  
Hmm. Not good, Sho decided as he bent forward a bit to focus on his shoes. For some reason.  
Maybe he should get moving again. He had to be home soon, why wasn’t he home yet?  
Had he even ridden a taxi yet? Sho felt around for his wallet. Hm. No, no, he had paid no taxi. Where was he then?  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the ground rose up to meet him and Sho yelped, certain he was going to have scratches on his cheeks and asphalt stuck in his forehead the next second. It was going to hurt.  
But it did not hurt. The world turned upside down again as he managed to throw back his head, to raise his eyes and look into two huge, brown orbs, staring at him with worry. Why was the guy looking worried? Sho felt the grin on his face before realizing he had actually started grinning at the man in front of him. Wow. Those lips were just so big and fat and gorgeous.  
“Thanks.” He said, or tried to. The words came out a slur, and he swayed forward again, receiving support once more from a set of strong arms.  
This was really bad. Really, really bad. Sho blinked and tried with all his might to get his brain to work. Before he gave up, a familiar, calming scent managed to soothe him as it enveloped his senses and he sighed in relief. _Thank you._  
  
Sunlight was streaming through the windows, tickling his nose and pulling him out of sleep. Sho groaned and stretched, raising his arms to try and block out some of the light. Then, with a pitiful moan, he realized how much his head hurt and how painful it was to open his eyes.  
“Ugh, shit,” he mumbled and turned over, -  
Only to wonder why his pillow felt so weird. Or, maybe not weird as such, but it did not feel as it usually felt. This one was harder and had an odd shape. And it smelled of…  
He rose so quickly that his head started spinning and he had to lie down again. Not only was his head hurting, but his throat felt totally abused as if he had done nothing but throw up last night. Right now, he could not remember any of that though.  
“You gotta be kidding.”  
This was really bad.  
“I see you’re awake.”  
Sho’s first impulse was to ignore the voice, to stay with his back towards the door, since he was not sure he wanted to face the man standing there. But wasn’t he kidding himself? There was nothing he wanted more than to see Jun right now, and his voice sounded so lovely in Sho’s ears. He turned, gnawing on his already worried lip, more than ready to apologize, but as soon as his eyes met Jun’s, Jun’s face lit up in a big smile,  
“You look horrible,” he stated with a smirk, and Sho changed his mind about apologizing. Jun tilted his head, “If you want, I just made coffee. Oh, and I left some water and a few painkillers on the nightstand beside you – you look like you might need it.”  
With that, he turned and left Sho again. Sho could not help but blink stupidly. It had seemed so casual for Jun; he had not looked like he minded Sho in his bed at all, he made no fuss about Sho and his flat, hangover face in his apartment.  
Slowly, Sho sat up in bed, reaching for the glass of water and the pills, waiting for him on the bedside table, just as Jun had told. While he swallowed them, he tried to come up with something to tell Jun, some way to thank him and apologize at the same time. He liked Jun. A lot. But he had not expected to find himself in the other man’s bed so soon.  
Well, he could blame his colleagues and his boss. Last night had not gone according to plan, not Sho’s plan at least. But he could not deny that he had expected this type of outcome. Usually, parties at his job tended to go a bit overboard according to Sho’s standards. He was not particularly fond of not being in control. Luckily, he had had a saviour last night it seemed.  
He threw a glance at the open door.  
  
Sho found Jun standing in the kitchen, busy washing up a few glasses and a wooden cutting board. Sho approached him cautiously, fidgeting lightly with his shirt which he had worn since last night – it was not very comfortable for him, smelly and wrinkled as it was. Luckily, Jun turned his head towards him, still with the bright expression.  
“Good morning,” he said, showing Sho his smile which made Sho’s heart jump in his chest, “Grab a mug from the cupboard if you want,” Jun nodded at the cupboards just above his head, and Sho reached for them quietly, still digging up his courage.  
When he got the mug in hand, he fumbled with the handle,  
“I am really sorry for what happened last night. I have no idea how I ended up in the area near the gym,” Sho said, looking at the white porcelain in his hand, twirling it around, “I am sorry that you had to see me like that,”  
“Sakurai-kun-“  
“But thank you,” Sho raised his eyes to meet Jun’s. The other man had stopped washing up, expression now serious, “You really did not have to do all this for me, when I was stupid enough to drink too much.” With a humourless snort, Sho lightly massaged his earlobe, hoping that Jun would not think less of him now. Because this situation really had to cross some of Jun’s lines, it had to be awkward for him too.  
“It was not a problem,” Jun’s voice was serious, while he dried his hands in a towel, “Besides,” and stepped closer to Sho, “I bet I took better care of you than anyone else could’ve in the state you were in.”  
Sho pouted.  
“I think you should take a shower though, you smell of last night,”  
It was true, Sho could taste how bad his breath was. Certainly that was not very charming. He chuckled,  
“Ok, yeah, of course, sorry.”  
“You can borrow one of my shirts for the time being. I already laid it out for you.”  
Well that was…. Really nice.  
Jun threw him one last lopsided smile before turning back to the sink. Sho slowly backed a few steps before turning around, shuffling towards the bathroom. Bath first, coffee second.  
The water was perfectly hot and the soap smelled wonderful, and when Sho emerged he felt like a whole new person. On top of the fresh, crispy white shirt was a new toothbrush, an additional curtesy of Matsumoto. Sho felt extremely shy about the whole domestic air the small gestures had – Matsumoto had thought of everything down to every single detail. And Sho could not help the imaginary pictures flashing through his head: How it would feel to get freshly made coffee every morning, to have Jun wash and iron his shirts and throw small, warm gestures his way with little effort. The thought excited him; he would not mind such a lifestyle. He felt comfortably warm, and not just because of his tingling skin and the soft towel. Before brushing his teeth, he lifted the shirt from where it lay and brought it up to his face to inhale the scent – it smelled of washing powder and of Jun, and Sho swore he had never felt this relaxed, his limps all gooey.  
  
“I see you remember where the bathroom is,” Sho swore Jun’s voice sounded smug, when he came back to the kitchen and found Jun with a book at the kitchen counter. When Sho got into his periphery, he put it down to look at him, head resting in his palm.  
“You do remember how you needed two fingers down your throat last night, don’t you?” Boy that sounded so wrong, and Sho felt his face flush red again.  
All those gestures this morning that Sho had found so sweet were instantly forgotten with the way Jun was looking all amused at Sho embarrassing himself.  
“Did I…?” Sho couldn’t say it.  
Jun’s eyes were shimmering with something Sho could not quite pinpoint, “Yup. And I had to help you. You could barely sit upright on the floor.”  
“Oh gods,” Sho hid his face in his hand, hoping that he could erase that memory from Jun’s mind. Sho couldn’t imagine – or remember – the trouble he had put Jun through.  
“I’m so sorry-” Matsumoto raised a hand to stop him,  
“Words cannot make up for it,” he declared and for a second, Sho felt lost at reading him. But then the other man rose from the chair and walked straight into Sho’s personal space, all up close and personal, “Now that you’re clean and your teeth are brushed, you can _do_ something to show your appreciation.”  
Jun’s voice was low and spoke of the unsaid things between them, of the heat they shared a couple of days ago, of his intentions. Jun’s eyes zeroed in on Sho’s mouth and Sho automatically licked his lips. Way to forget that hangover.  
He could feel Jun’s breath on his face, could smell his cologne, but it wasn’t until he felt Jun’s fingers lightly coming into contact with his own, sending a shock through him, that his hands shot up to grab onto Jun’s hair and neck, pulling Jun the rest of the way towards him, towards his mouth and into him. Jun leaned forward simultaneously, meeting him halfway and placing one hand at the small of Sho’s back. Jun sighed deeply, making Sho angle his head slightly to deepen the kiss, tongue moving in Jun’s mouth. It felt good, but still not good enough, somehow, even when Sho pulled Jun flush against him, he needed more. A hand snuck under the white shirt at Sho’s back, and he growled in approval as Jun began stroking his warm skin, freezing momentarily as Sho’s hand moved down to cup Jun’s ass.  
“Sho,”  
“Yes.”  
The words came out as hushed breaths, a shared thought, two people with similar wants and when Jun broke away from the kiss it was only to send Sho a promising smile, a wicked twist of his eyebrow,  
“Let’s get back to bed.”  
Sho answered by kissing his wet, tempting lips again, twisting his tongue around Jun’s, making the other man moan hot and breathlessly as Sho backed him slowly into the bedroom.  
He wanted Jun so much, he wanted him hot and flushed and begging underneath him, he wanted him to moan his name as he moved inside him, as Sho took control. Now that there was no risk of them getting caught, now that it was only them, private space surrounding them, there was no reason to hold back and Sho certainly did not plan to.  
Jun’s knees caught on the side of the bed, and he let himself fall backwards, Sho on top, supporting himself with his arms. There was urgency in the way Jun pulled hard at Sho’s hair, lust evident in how he latched onto Sho’s neck, sucking at his pulse.  
“I want you,” he breathed against Sho’s ear, and Sho answered with a bite against the junction between Jun’s shoulder and neck.  
“I am counting on it.”  
When he pulled at the hem of Jun’s shirt, more than eager to see the taunt white skin underneath again, Jun was obliging and broke away only long enough to lift it over his head before he was at Sho’s lips again, sucking Sho’s breath away. After what Jun had given Sho at the gym, the man was more than eager to return the favour, so as he let his hands feel as much as possible to discover the sensation of Jun’s body underneath him, he did his utmost to give Jun as much pleasure as possible – which turned out to be a win-win situation anyway. Jun’s body which Sho in the beginning only had admired from afar was even more stunning up close like this, the muscles moving beneath his skin as he squirmed under Sho’s hands.  
The other man arched his back from the bed when Sho’s mouth latched onto his left nipple, swirling around the stiffening bud, finding the fact that Jun had a mole right here to be more than appealing. Jun groaned and impatiently rubbed himself against Sho, to which Sho chuckled, putting a hand on Jun’s hip to hold him down, playing briefly with Jun’s zipper.  
“You are-” Jun’s voice broke when Sho once more attacked the moles on the side of his neck, “- wearing too much.” There was desperation and impatience in Jun’s tone of voice, when his hands gripped at the back of Sho’s shirt, clawing at the skin at the small of his back.  
In response, Sho only hummed, taking his time at Jun’s elegant neck to lick his way towards his sharp jaw and lightly bite along it. Sho wanted to cherish every single millimetre of Jun’s soft skin, leaving no patches untouched.  
Underneath him, Jun started to protest weakly, one content sigh after another escaping him, but when Sho paused near Jun’s collarbones to nipple and suck elaborately, working towards making a hickey, Jun’s hand found its way down his back to his ass. He squeezed it suddenly, earning a quiet gasp from Sho,  
“No more polite asking,” his rasped out, voice grainy, “Strip.” For emphasis, he yanked gently at Sho’s pants by hooking a finger through the belt-hoops in the back.  
Sho chuckled and finally stopped molesting Jun’s neck, though he had to marvel at the pretty job he’d done when he pulled away; that spot would definitely be purple tomorrow.  
Jun leaned back on his elbows, watching Sho with darkening eyes as he quickly unbuttoned the shirt he’d just slid on, following his movements greedily. When Sho moved to let the shirt slide down his arms, Jun suddenly sat up, circling his arms around Sho’s form to take a hold of his wrists. Sho stopped moving, eyes on Jun as he looked up at Sho, face millimetres from Sho’s chest, so close Sho could feel Jun’s hot breath on his skin as he breathed deeply, chest rising and falling.  
“I think it is time to inspect the results of all that training we’ve done,” Jun smirked at him, and then broke their eye contact briefly to close the distance and place a kiss between Sho’s pectorals. The feeling of his plush lips made Sho sigh softly, sagging in his posture as Jun moved his mouth across the expanse of his chest, placing gentle kisses on his skin, his breath causing goose bumps to appear all over Sho’s body. Eyes never leaving Jun and the sensual inspectional work he was doing, every time Jun lifted his eyes, Sho caught what was to see in them; the wish to please, the appreciation, the want. Jun hummed against his skin in approval, earning a hiss when he took one of Sho’s nipples between his teeth, “I should be proud of myself,” he murmured, breath sticky, while he let his lips travel lower. And when he suddenly sucked hard just below Sho’s ribs, Sho moaned darkly, pulling slightly against the fabric caught between his arms that Jun continued to hold tightly onto. By the time Jun was licking his way up again, his swipes long and wet, nibbling and biting and suckling on every exposed centimetre of Sho’s upper body, Sho was panting hard, his pants unbearably tight, and he held a desperate need to be let free so he could molest Jun in the same way.  
“Please, Jun,” he panted when Jun rose higher to align their faces, to gaze into Sho’s eyes. He was trying to appear calm, but Sho could feel how Jun’s hands were shaking slightly in their hold.  
Instead of answering, Jun tilted his head slightly, so close to Sho’s mouth that his lips brushed Sho’s with the motion,  
“Yes?” he actually had the nerve to ask?  
Sho leaned forward to try and catch Jun’s lips, but the other man moved away just enough for Sho not to be able to reach, a chuckle on those thick lips of his. Sho growled.  
Then, with a sweet smile, Jun chose to bend down again, to place his lips right above Sho’s belt buckle, on the soft skin below his navel and Sho groaned. Having to move down there had lost Jun the hold he had on Sho’s wrists, so Sho quickly threw off the shirt to have one of his hands shoot forward to rest on top of Jun’s head. Images of what happened in the gym came back to Sho, spreading heat between his legs, and with a gentle yank, he pulled Jun’s head away and pushed him back down, attacking his lips again first thing.  
They were both still wearing pants, but Sho made quick work of removing Jun’s first – the other man suddenly very obliging, and Sho heard him quietly chuckle at his rough way of pulling down Jun’s jeans while impatiently fumbling with his own belt. When they were both down to their boxers, Sho moved in between Jun’s legs, purposely pressing their erections together, and Jun’s voice broke in a sudden, surprised moan before Sho caught his lips in a kiss which was more tongue than touching lips. The will to push Jun further, and his own need made him push his crotch against Jun again, which Jun answered by rolling his hips deliciously. Sho breathed into his mouth, catching the whisper of a “please” leaving Jun’s lips. With a hand gently caressing Jun’s stomach, Sho moved to remove Jun’s boxers, noting the straining erection between his legs and Sho’s own cock stirred in response.  
As soon as he had removed their last piece of clothing, throwing them god-knows-where, he questioningly looked at Jun, who just quickly pulled him back down by the neck,  
“Lube and condom is in the drawer,” he breathed, kissing Sho briefly, “You can reach it from here,”  
With Jun refusing to let go of his neck, one of his legs hooking around Sho’s hips, which brought Sho’s cock into electrifying contact with Jun’s soft skin, Sho had to clench his teeth and concentrate on opening the drawer with his left hand, searching the interior with just his sense of feeling. He finally got the bottle and condom and withdrew his hand again.  
Jun’s deep brown eyes were sparkling, grinning all the while as he watched Sho grip onto his left thigh rather tightly, lifting it upwards. And Sho looked him straight back in the eye when he placed a kiss on the smooth skin of his inner thigh, causing Jun to trash his head and arch his back. Sho continued his slow torture of kissing and sucking his way upwards, making Jun squirm in the sheets and pant hard while his hands gripped the sheets,  
“Sho,” he breathed out, and Sho couldn’t help grinning against his skin, “Just- please, please.”  
Sho finally gave in, mostly to his own impatience and the sight of Jun sweaty and needy, and reached for the lube to pour a generous amount over his fingers.  
“I never thought I was _ever_ going to hear my trainer ask me for something so nicely,” he teased, enjoying the way Jun rolled his eyes.  
“Shut up and get to it, idiot.”  
Then he leaned back up over Jun, looming over him as he grabbed onto his thighs to spread them apart. When he placed the first finger at Jun’s hole, circled it around the tight ring of muscle there, it took a lot of self-restraint not to take Jun then and there, in the exposed state he was in.  
“You are so hot,” Sho told him, voice low and dark, eyes roaming over Jun’s lithe body while Sho massaged his opening. Jun was trying his best to control his breathing, face flushed, hands placed beside his head as he with heavy-lidded eyes watched Sho intently. “I could devour you,” and then Sho pushed his first finger inside Jun, and Jun mewled, closing his eyes in pleasure.  
Sho felt how the muscles clenched against the intrusion as he pushed in deeper, and Jun’s hips rose. He leaned down to place kisses all over Jun’s stomach to ease some of the pain and show Jun how he appreciated that he allowed Sho to do this. When Jun groaned and wiggled his hips, Sho took that as a sign to start moving his finger faster before inserting a second digit.  
“Sho,” Jun panted, reaching for him and when he moved up, Jun grabbed onto the back of his head, clawing onto his thick locks of hair and brought him in for a messy kiss, disturbed by their pants and moans, while Sho scissored inside him, moving his fingers in and out, soon knuckles deep. When Jun wasn’t kissing Sho, he focused on breathing, chest rising and falling unevenly. He suddenly gripped onto Sho’s shoulder, lifting his hips to bring Sho’s fingers in deeper. He moaned,  
“Now, please.” He swallowed, “Please, I want you.”  
Sho could only marvel again at the way Jun could be reduced to pleas like this, by Sho’s hand and Sho’s doing. He broke away from Jun’s addicting lips, also withdrawing his fingers before applying the condom. Below him, Jun spread his legs wider in temptation and submission, exposing himself completely in front of Sho, and by the time Sho had lubed himself up nicely, he was not sure he could be very gentle.  
Well, Jun _was_ asking for it.  
After he balanced himself on his arms, placing them beside Jun’s shoulders, he reached down to align his cock with Jun’s opening. One questioning look thrown at Jun before he started forcing the head of his cock in. Sho hissed as he concentrated on keeping his pushes shallow which was hard with the way Jun moaned.  
“You can move, please, come on.” Jun begged in a strained voice underneath him, and Sho groaned.  
Bringing his hips back first, he pushed in harder, groaning at the feeling of Jun around him. He pulled Jun’s knees up beside him, gently going in deeper, slowly moving his cock into Jun.  
“God, you are _so_ hot,” He repeated, enjoying the sight before him and the tight, slippery feeling around his cock.  
When he finally was fully sheathed inside of Jun, Sho began to move in a slow pace, grabbing Jun’s leg to hook it around his hips before he increased the force put into each thrust. Jun’s voice broke shortly before he bit his lips to try and keep his voice down, but Sho quickly figured out how to make him whine again as he changed his angle and set up his pace even more. The sound of slapping skin and their mingled pants filled the room along with their heat and the smell of sweat and sex. Sho clenched his teeth when Jun wrapped his other leg around him, now moving his hips upwards in time to meet each of Sho’s increasingly faster thrusts. Sho was balls deep in him, and Jun was holding onto the bed posts for leverage while Sho drove in harder, a chanting of Jun’s name and curses across his lips while the obscene, wet sound between them did nothing but turn him on further,  
“Shit, you feel so good.” Jun was clenching deliciously around his cock, pulling him in as he was getting closer, his thrusts turning increasingly sloppier, more and more out of pace.  
“Sho, Sho, oh God,” Jun threw his head back again and Sho leaned forward, bending Jun’s legs further backwards, letting him go even deeper. He couldn’t help running his hand over the inside of Jun’s thigh again.  
“Fuck,” Sho moaned against Jun’s ear and thrust once, twice, before Jun came first with a whine between them. The sight of him coming undone, and the sucking around Sho’s cock as Jun orgasmed brought Sho over the edge too, and he released with a deep groan.  
When the ripples of pleasure had subsided, Sho rolled down from where he had collapsed on top of Jun and moved to get the condom tied and thrown away. Afterwards he lay down next to Jun, letting his arm rest on Jun’s stomach. He did not mind the stickiness of Jun’s come, but just threw him a grin when Jun turned his head to look at him.  
“You look like someone who is proud of himself, Sakurai,” there was no bite in Jun’s comment with the way he was still panting hard, a bead of sweat running over his glistening neck.  
“Well, of course I am,” Sho answered, stroking Jun’s damp bangs out of his eyes, “Have you seen how hot my trainer is?” Jun chuckled, his eyes turning into small half-moons, “To think I could ever end up in his bed.”  
“You do know you’re quite the hot stuff yourself, right? I instantly knew I wanted a piece of this fine ass,” For emphasis, Jun turned to grab a firm hold of one of Sho’s buttocks and squeezed it which earned a laugh from Sho.  
Jun threw a leg over Sho’s, going quiet as his eyes held Sho’s. For a while, they remained silent, Sho gently stroking Jun’s sides. When Jun spoke again, Sho could see the mischief all over his face,  
“To think I got to see that uptight, neat business man completely wasted and blabbering last night, I should’ve blackmailed you.”  
“Oh yeah?”  
“Yup. I could’ve made you do all sorts of things.”  
Sho gave it a low chuckle, “I’d like to see you try,” and closed the distance between them in a languid kiss, both of them taking their time to savour each other’s taste. When they broke apart, Sho thought he had shut Jun up.  
“We should totally try doing this on a balance ball.”  
“Forget it Matsumoto.”

 

*

 

Sho and Jun agreed that it would be better for Jun to stop training Sho – as it turned out, Jun was almost as much as Sho about professionalism, and he agreed with a crooked smirk when Sho asked him not to flirt with his new trainees. That he would definitely not tolerate such a thing. Sho continued going to the same gym though, training by himself – with Jun popping by every once in a while to throw him comments such as “bend your knees more”, “come on, you’re not tired already are you?”, “you’re doing it wrong Sakurai” or “oh, that position really shows off your assets, we should try that at home”. As for a food plan, it did not take long for Jun to make sure Sho got the right nourishments every day, sometimes ready with dinner after a tough day at the office and breakfast following an active night. Sho found himself looking forward to getting up in the mornings and finishing his work as fast as he could in the afternoons. Suddenly, he did not feel so stressed out anymore – maybe due to all the additional exercise he was doing. And his improved mood seemed to not only get noticed, but also went and affected his close colleagues.  
A couple of weeks into their relationship, Sho introduced Jun to Ninomiya. He had been worrying about Nino’s behaviour – whether his secretary would embarrass Sho or himself in front of Jun. Despite the fact that he had known Ninomiya for so long, the man was sometimes utterly unpredictable.  
When Jun came through the sliding door to Sho and Nino at the restaurant, he had brought a friend along too. Ohno Satoshi was his name, and he was a quiet, yet very interesting man, and Sho instantly liked him. Apparently, he was a painter Jun had met at one of Ohno’s first art exhibitions – Jun had been so fascinated with his art that he had insistently asked Ohno to tell him more about his artwork, and they had ended up going out for a beer – which had been the beginning of their close relationship.  
Though Sho had anticipated Nino to be interested in knowing everything about Jun and their relationship to the point of being annoying and nosy about the most private things, it did not take more than an hour and couple of beers before Nino was far more interested in the sunburned artist, who apparently also liked fishing, and Sho and Jun ended up sharing one side of the table, completely ignored by the two others.  
As Jun scooped up various delicious things from the nabe for Sho, Sho couldn’t help a silent chuckle,  
“And here I was worried that you two wouldn’t like each other. But as it turns out, Kazu doesn’t give a shit about you.”  
“Hey,” Jun slapped Sho on the back of his head, but Sho did not miss his grin.  
“You shouldn’t have brought Ohno-san along,” Sho picked up his chopsticks to dig into the meat and vegetables Jun placed in front of him.  
The other man turned to him, tilting his head slightly and let Sho take a few bites before saying:  
“Well, what if it was my intention to move Ninomiya-san’s attention elsewhere?”  
With his cheeks stuffed, Sho could not answer without spraying food all over the place, so he just furrowed his brow, hoping Jun would elaborate. And he did. Sort of:  
“Though I did not expect them to hit it off so easily.” If Sho had any further inquiries, Jun made him forget all about them as he poked him lightly at the side of his mouth, fingering at a drop of broth before bringing his finger back into his own mouth, sucking at the tip. His brown eyes sparkled mischievously as they met Sho’s, and a grin spread across his face,  
“I bet we could even leave, and they wouldn’t even notice.”  
Well, so much for all the planning Sho had done.  
There was no complaint from him though, as he hurried to gobble up the rest of his food.


End file.
